The Venezuelan president and his wife are being delivered to New York to face narco-terrorism charges, Washington has said

US President Donald Trump has published a photo of Nicolas Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on board a US warship. The Venezuelan leader is currently being shipped to New York together with his wife to face charges of a "narco-terrorism conspiracy."

Trump had previously confirmed that US forces carried out large-scale overnight airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital city, Caracas, and taken Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores captive. Both will "soon face the full wrath of American justice," according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Rondon has told the country's troops to "trust the leadership," while Foreign Minister Yvan Gil has accused Washington of seeking to gain control of the Latin American nation's natural resources.

Numerous videos have emerged of a series of heavy explosions across the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Footage showing attacks in two other parts of the country has also been geolocated. One clip features the outline of several US Chinook military helicopters swooping across the city at low altitude.

In a statement, Moscow has condemned the US "aggression," called for "immediate clarification" on Maduro's whereabouts and lamented that "ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism."

American Senator Mike Lee announced on his personal X account that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him that Washington does not foresee any further military operations at this time and that the Venezuelan president will stand trial in the US.

Multiple Western countries have expressed "concern" and claimed they are monitoring developments with their diplomatic teams in the Venezuelan capital.

(RT.com)